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Boundaries - Historical Notes

Tennessee Code Annotated
Tennessee Attorney General Opinions

The following is a summary of acts which authorized boundary changes for Roane County.

  1. Acts of 1803, Chapter 49, appointed George Preston a Commissioner to act with John McClellen to run the boundary line between Knox County and Roane County. Preston would replace Joseph Taylor who was formerly appointed to the task but moved away before entering upon the same. Preston would have the same authority as was granted to Taylor and would be paid at the same rate of pay.
  2. Acts of 1806, Chapter 51, named Jesse Roysden, and Jacob Jones as Commissioners to run and mark the line between Roane County and Anderson County. The two named could employ someone to do the marking if they desired. The Commissioners would be paid $2 per day and the marker, if hired, would be paid $1 daily.
  3. Acts of 1807, Chapter 9, was an act to reduce Roane County to its constitutional limits, describing the county as being bounded on the south-west by a line beginning on the north bank of the Tennessee, at the end of the ridge that divides the waters of White's Creek from those of Piney River; thence along said ridge to Wallen's Ridge; thence north forty-five west to the Overton County line. Arrangements were made for the proper collection of taxes and for the reporting of polls in elections at Kingston in Roane County.
  4. Acts of 1807, Chapter 10, amended the Act above (Chapter 9) to make it lawful for the Sheriff of Roane County to execute all lawful process which were issued and came to the hands of the said Sheriff before the passage of the above amended Act, in the same manner as if the said act had not been passed, and the execution of said process would be as good and valid, although done within the limits of Rhea County, or Bledsoe County, as if the same had been accomplished in Roane County.
  5. Acts of 1809, Chapter 20, provided that the line which would divide Roane County from Rhea and Bledsoe Counties would begin on the north bank of the Tennessee River at the mouth of White's Creek, thence up White's Creek as it meanders to the place where the road leading from Knoxville to Nashville crosses the main fork of the said White's Creek; thence north, forty west, to the Overton County line. Nothing contained in this Act would be construed to preclude the Sheriff of Roane County from collecting the State, County, and poor tax due in that part of Rhea County and Bledsoe County which is east and north of the above described line.
  6. Acts of 1815, Chapter 75, provided that all that part of Rhea County lying north and east of the following described line, beginning at White's Creek, near Matthew English's saw mill, at the mouth of Crab Orchard Creek, thence running up said creek to the mouth of Burke's Creek, thence a direct course to the northwest corner of Roane County at the Overton County line would hereafter be a part of Roane County, but the Sheriff of Rhea County could collect those taxes due in the said area for the year, 1815.
  7. Acts of 1815, Chapter 200, extended the boundaries of Rhea County and Roane County, to the southern border of the State of Tennessee with the warning that nothing in this Act would be construed to authorize anyone to violate the laws of the United States which were in force and applicable to the Indian Reservations.
  8. Acts of 1817, Chapter 38, changed the lines between Anderson County and Roane County in the creation of Morgan County. The sections of this Act pertinent to Roane County are published herein.
  9. Acts of 1819, Chapter 3, Section 2, set up the boundary line of Roane County beginning at a point on the south side of the Tennessee River opposite the mouth of White's Creek; thence south, forty-five degrees east, ten miles; then a direct line to a chain of ridges four miles south of Browder's Ferry on the Big Tennessee River; thence with the said chain of ridges to the mouth of the Holston River. John W. Brazeal was appointed as the surveyor to run and mark the lines described above at a compensation of $2 per day for each day spent in the performance thereof.
  10. Acts of 1821, Chapter 78, established the line between Roane County and Monroe County beginning on the south bank of the Tennessee River on the second range line east of the meridian, thence south with the said line to the present line, as the same has heretofore been run and marked.
  11. Acts of 1823, Chapter 256, Section 1, changed the boundary between Roane County and Monroe County beginning on the second range line east of the meridian where the present Monroe and Roane line leaves the same; thence with the said line to where the same strikes the township line, at or near Taylor Eldridge's reservation; thence with the said line to the extreme height of the Black Oak Ridge; thence along the same to the present line as heretofore marked and run. The remainder of this Act affected Monroe County only.
  12. Acts of 1837-38, Chapter 259, required the dividing line between Roane County and Rhea County to be run and established so as to include the possessions of Leonard C. Nance wholly within Roane County. The County Court of Roane County could appoint someone to run and mark the line, if they desired.
  13. Acts of 1845-46, Chapter 206, Section 17, changed the boundary line between Roane County and Morgan County so that the dwelling house and land of Henry King would be contained wholly within Roane County.
  14. Acts of 1855-56, Chapter 161, Section 7, realigned the boundary lines between Morgan County and Roane County so that the farms of Moses C. Winters and L. Rutor were included wholly within Roane County, any law to the contrary not withstanding.
  15. Acts of 1855-56, Chapter 173, Section 7, provided that the Surveyors of Anderson County and Roane County would meet to run and mark the dividing line between those two counties from the Double Springs on Poplar Creek to a point on the Clinch River according to the terms of Chapter 45, Acts of 1801, Section 15. This line, when run and marked, would constitute the boundary between the two counties.
  16. Acts of 1857-58, Chapter 47, Sections 10 and 11, changed the boundaries between Anderson and Roane County as described in the Act to the extent that the properties belonging to D. L. Bradley, John R. Galbreath, Samuel Tunnell, William Rite, W. C. Griffith, and J. C. Roberts were all included wholly within Roane County. Section 11 placed the effective date of this Act at May, next, gave the people affected the right to vote in the next election, and the Sheriff of Anderson County could collect the taxes for the current year. This Act was repealed by Acts of 1857-58, Chapter 83.
  17. Acts of 1857-58, Chapter 83, provided that anyone who desired a boundary change between counties must file an application for the change, accompanied by a survey and plat of the same, with the Legislature before June 1 of the year preceding the meeting of the General Assembly. Section 2 moved the properties of James Sewel, William Carter, William Elkins, John Billingsly, and David H. Dickey out of Roane County and into Monroe County with the line now following the course described in the Act. Section 3 repealed the 10th Section of Acts of 1857-58, Chapter 47, Item 15, above, in its entirety.
  18. Acts of 1857-58, Chapter 129, Section 5, changed the lines dividing Roane, Morgan, and Anderson Counties so that it would be continued between Roane County and Anderson County with the extreme height of the Pine Ridge, a northeasterly direction, to the Mountain Fork of Poplar Creek; thence up with the meanders of said Creek to the north side of Walden's Ridge; thence with the foot of said Ridge, a westerly direction to the West Fork of the Indian Fork of Poplar Creek, to the place where the county line between Roane County and Morgan County now crosses the Creek. This Act was repealed in Item 23, below.
  19. Acts of 1859-60, Chapter 196, Section 4, transferred the properties owned by D. H. Dickey and S. H. Caldwell out of Roane County and into Monroe County provided the move did not obstruct the road leading from Kingston to the Depot of the Eastern Tennessee and Georgia Railroad.
  20. Acts of 1866-67, Chapter 9, Section 2, rearranged the dividing lines between Roane County and Monroe County so that Carmichael's Island in the Tennessee River above Loudon would hereafter be wholly within Roane County.
  21. Acts of 1869-70, Chapter 48, Section 4, moved the residence and lands belonging to J. D. Turner out of McMinn County and into Roane County.
  22. Acts of 1869-70 (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 2, would have formed a new County in Tennessee by the name of Christiana out of portions of the counties of Blount, Roane, and Monroe around the area of Loudon as the same was more particularly described in the Act. The efficacy of this Act depended on the approval of the people living in the affected area in a referendum election. Since the County was apparently never established, it would be safe to assume the people did not approve in the election.
  23. Acts of 1869-70, (Ex. Sess.), Chapter 88, repealed Acts of 1857-58, Chapter 129, Item 18, above, in its entirety as it affected Roane, Anderson, and Morgan Counties and restored the boundaries between the respective counties as they existed prior to that act.
  24. Acts of 1870-71, Chapter 18, Section 6, changed the line between Roane County and Loudon County to run with the land line and to place the farms of B. F. Cooly and W. C. Burnett entirely within the limits of Roane County.
  25. Acts of 1870-71, Chapter 118, Section 2, detached the farms of Jesse Preston and Henry Bogart from Roane County and attached them to Loudon County.
  26. Acts of 1873, Chapter 76, affected the boundaries of the counties of Roane, Cumberland, and Morgan.
  27. Acts of 1875, Chapter 140, realigned the boundaries between Roane County and Loudon County so that the lands belonging to Calvin McChaffrey, Jackson West, G. Newman, John Estes, F. M. Estes, A. J. Ingram, Sanford Ingram, G. W. Simpson, A. Fittz, Robert Norwood, W. P. Tetrow, J. O. Hays, Eblin Potter, and DeWitt Abbott, would all be included in Loudon County, except that the line shall not run at any place closer than eleven miles to Kingston, the county seat of Roane County.
  28. Acts of 1879, Chapter 137, Section 8, transferred the lands of William Powell out of Cumberland County and placed them in Roane County. Section 9, of the same act, moved the entire farm owned by S. P. Cook out of Roane County and into Loudon County.
  29. Acts of 1883, Chapter 8, changed the lines between Roane County and Loudon County so that the farm belonging to J. L. Waller was situated wholly within the boundaries of Roane County.
  30. Acts of 1883, Chapter 89, rearranged the dividing lines between Roane County and Meigs County so that the home farm of E. M. Ewing, the lands of the heirs of Henderson Deatherage, William D. Browder, A. J. Hagler's home farm, Elizabeth Clower's lands, and those of Jeremiah Gepson, Sarah Woolsey, and Chrissie Woolsey would all be located wholly within Meigs County.
  31. Acts of 1883, Chapter 203, repealed Acts of 1870-71, Chapter 18, Section 4, Item 24, above, but this Section did not apply to Roane County.
  32. Acts of 1887, Chapter 127, required the counties of Anderson and Roane to appoint three Commissioners each, including the surveyors of each county, who would select a seventh commissioner, not to reside in either county, but who would also be a practical surveyor. The Committee would meet on a day appointed and make a survey of the line between the counties beginning one-fourth of a mile above the gap of the Indian Fork of Poplar Creek, thence south forty-five degrees east to Wallen's Ridge, one-fourth of a mile above the gap of the Indian Fork of Poplar Creek; thence a direct line to the double springs on the east Fork of Poplar Creek; thence to the Clinch River opposite to the mouth of Hickory Creek.
  33. Acts of 1889, Chapter 34, changed the lines between Roane County and Anderson County.
  34. Acts of 1891, Chapter 244, detached the lands belonging to J. J. Winton from Roane County and attached them to Meigs County.
  35. Acts of 1899, Chapter 317, took all of the lot owned by William M. Freels, which was located in Anderson County, and placed it in Roane County.
  36. Acts of 1899, Chapter 330, rearranged the boundaries between Roane County and Morgan County beginning in the present line between Morgan County and Roane County at the junction of Clifty Creek with Emory River; thence running due east crossing Emory River and the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas-Pacific Railroad, in all 380 poles, to the extreme top of Walden's Ridge, the present line between Roane County and Morgan County. This Act was repealed by the Act following.
  37. Acts of 1901, Chapter 93, expressly repealed Acts of 1899, Chapter 330, Item above, in its entirety, restoring the boundaries of the counties as they were prior to the passage of that Act.